Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut… Sometimes You Grow
Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut… Sometimes You Grow
By Eric M. Chisem | #Learnedman | Smiles R Contagious™ Author of Sun After the Rain https://a.co/d/02Svd3xI
Maturing reminds me of Mounds and Almond Joy: sometimes you feel like a nut, and sometimes you don’t. 😂
Sometimes you get it. Sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you handle a situation with wisdom, and sometimes you walk away thinking, “Now, I know I could have handled that better.”
That moment of recognition is an opportunity to grow.
We often connect maturity to age. We count birthdays, years on the job, and experiences survived. Yet we can live through the same lesson many times and keep responding the same way. Growing older happens with time. Growing wiser asks something of us.
It asks us to pay attention.
When I think about maturity, I think about all our senses, and the choices we make with what they tell us.
What are you seeing?
Can you look beyond someone’s expression, clothing, title, or mistake? A person who appears angry may be hurting. Someone who looks successful may be struggling. Maturity makes room for a second look before a first judgment becomes a final verdict.
It also asks us to look at ourselves. If every disagreement ends with everyone else being wrong, we may need to take a closer look at our own part in it.
What are you hearing?
Have you ever listened to someone while preparing your comeback? You heard enough to argue, but perhaps missed what they were trying to say.
Sometimes the most useful words in a conversation are, “Help me understand.” They give us a chance to learn something our assumptions left out.
And sometimes maturity means hearing a hard truth without treating the person who shared it as an enemy.
What are you allowing into your space?
Think about smell: sometimes you notice something is off before you can identify exactly what it is.
In life, that uneasy feeling can be a reason to pause and ask questions. Pay attention, then look for understanding. A feeling deserves consideration; it still needs context.
You can be kind and have boundaries. You can care about someone and recognize that a situation needs to change.
What taste are you leaving behind?
Our words leave an aftertaste.
Long after a conversation ends, someone may remember the encouragement we offered—or the embarrassment we caused. Before speaking, consider what you want your words to accomplish.
A correction can be clear and respectful. A disagreement can leave dignity intact. Being right does not give us permission to be cruel.
How are you touching people’s lives?
A smile. A phone call. An apology. A helping hand. Giving someone your full attention.
These small choices can change the direction of someone’s day. Maturity shows up in how we treat people when we are tired, frustrated, disappointed, or unlikely to receive anything in return.
That is where kindness becomes practice.
And then there are our feelings.
Some days we feel patient. Some days everything gets on our nerves...including the way somebody breathes! 😂
We are human. We will have emotions, difficult days, and moments we wish we could replay.
Maturity gives us a chance to create a little space between what we feel and what we do. In that space, we can take a breath, choose our words, step away, or admit, “I need a minute.”
We can also come back and say, “I was wrong.”
An apology does not erase the moment, but it can begin the work of repairing it. Growth becomes visible when our next choice reflects what we learned.
So give yourself grace while holding yourself accountable. Laugh at yourself when you need to. Stay curious. Keep learning. And when an old habit shows up, pay attention to it.
Sometimes you get it. Sometimes you don’t.
The question is: What will you do differently now that you know better?
Think about it…
Today’s reflection: Which needs more attention in your life: how you see, how you listen, what you allow, how you speak, or how you treat others?
Keep Yourself Nurtured Daily. Be KYND to yourself—and extend that kindness to others.
Smiles R Contagious™
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